I've been thinking of putting this topic up myself, and thinking about the problem. I'm pretty sure that I'm mildly AS, my wife shows mild symptoms too, and our son is a little worse/better than both of us. I'd say Steve Parkes has hit the nail on the head. I'd also say that someone with AS is more likely to end up a millionaire or musician than the average social animal, because of the single-mindedness.
My 17YO is not social enough for my taste, adults or children no problem, peers no way.
Further symptoms: High skill with maths, matched with an inability to break the log-jam of ideas in english. Loud noise causes pain, roller coasters make you nauseous. Daydreaming. Going off on a conversational tangent. In exams, if the question can be interpreted in different ways, you pick the wrong one! All tips for coping gratefully received. Chris (& Judy!)